The Vicar Writes
Friday 30th December 2011
New Year's Grace
New Year’s GraceAs the heightened activity of Christmas (the many dinners, the parties, church services and family celebrations we have enjoyed) ends and the New Year takes over with its more practical resolve, one thing we need to retain is the reason for the season we have experienced. Jesus came to bless us with his grace, and in our resolutions for the New Year, the most important will be to accept God’s grace that has been given in his gift to us.
Resolving to eat less, be more organised, or more loving or whatever it is we wish to improve focuses attention on our work alone. Rarely do we consider the need for others to cooperate and respond to our good efforts. And would we dare enlist help in accomplishing our personal goals? These annoying complications, coupled with the extra pressure it puts on us to achieve, brings many well-intended New Year’s Resolutions to nothing.
God’s gift at Christmas is not one which compels us to “improve” ourselves in the conventional way. The gift of Jesus as with all of God’s blessings is given without any pre-conditions. We need only accept the gift freely given. Indeed we cannot earn God’s favour in the way we would please a boss or some one we would like to think better of us. This is described as God’s grace. In Galatians, Paul likens this to adoption. We become part of God’s family by just accepting the invitation. How simple and freeing is that? The life we live following this acceptance is still of our choosing but with God’s guidance. Grace freely given. It is the best Christmas and New Year’s gift we can give ourselves. It is the best gift we can give to others as we model the forgiveness and acceptance that comes as God gives the Christ child to us. Happy New Year!
